Insomnia, L-Theanine, and short-term effects

I need feedback on my experience with L-Theanine. I have used it for about two weeks with promising initial results at 200mg one or two times by day and another 200 mg before going to bed. I still awaken between 2 and 4 a.m., but I have been able to fall back asleep easily—although this benefit appears to be lessening.

The suggested dose I have come across online for L-Theanine is: Between 100 to 200mg one to four times a day. (For GABA: 500-750mg 3 times daily at least 30 minutes before meals.)

I have read that L-Theanine is supposed to be side-effect free. But I am now feeling tired throughout the day. I crave sleep and I've slept as much as 10 hours a night some nights as opposed to my usual 7.5 hours. I don't feel groggy, but my thinking feels sluggish (exactly the opposite of what is supposed to happen). One or two days, my body, too, felt as exhausted as if I hadn't slept.

I am hyper-sensitive to most drugs and often to herbs as well. I usually take no more than half the recommended dose of anything with results and sometimes troubling side effects. After about two days, if something does help me sleep (and you name it, I’ve probably tried it), I remain groggy to the point of dysfunctional throughout the entire next day. Often after a few more days, however, it stops working.

What I want to explore is:

1) Why do I want to sleep all the time and why is my thinking sluggish since I began taking L-Theanine? Can this be a temporary and corollary effect of my finally catching up on rest?

2) Can my body build up a tolerance to L-Theanine? Is this why have I started to awaken in the middle of the night again?

3) What dosage should I be taking?
4) Is it safe to continue at any dose for a period of time? I found a medical web site posting about L-Theanine that said it was "probably safe" up to 200mg once a week for three weeks.

Thanks for your response. And if you think I should post online instead, just let me know.

C

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